


Carnival

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Fluff, M/M, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 05:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Ydris takes his boyfriend out for a rather special date. Daine belongs to HellishSam.





	Carnival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HellishSam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellishSam/gifts).



Ydris was nervous. It was a rare thing, for the tall, confident, handsome Pandorian to be nervous about anything. But he was nervous now as he looked at himself in the full-length mirror in the bedroom (he'd bought it and insisted on keeping it here, though Daine had rolled his eyes and joked about his boyfriend loving his reflection too much). Did this look okay? It was only a pair of simple blue jeans (he'd had to magically alter the length of the legs to make them long enough) and a simple blue flannel beneath a purple jacket, along with a pair of white sneakers adorning his feet. For today, he'd even decided to forego his usual hat in favour of not wearing a hat at all. He looked so dreadfully normal, and yet... yet now, he'd finally look normal beside Daine. Nobody would look at Daine and wonder what someone like him was doing with someone so clearly superior. But to Ydris, he wasn't superior to Daine. He was Daine's equal, he realised that now. Wanted it to be true with all his heart. And after today... well, he would just have to see what the future held. Even his crystal ball had been quiet on that front recently.

"How can you still take forever to get ready when you're trying to dress normal?" Daine asked, standing in the bedroom doorway with his arms folded over his chest. Ydris turned to face him, reaching for lapels that weren't there, a collar that wasn't there. He blushed, looking down at his feet.

"Do I still look okay?" Ydris asked.

"Well, you know where we're going," said Daine, arching a brow. "You tell me."

"You're right," said Ydris. "And you, my phoenix, look as ravishing as ever." Daine snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Daine. He was only dressed similarly to Ydris, only his jeans were darker and ripped at the knees, his jacket of choice the turquoise hooded sweatshirt that he always wore.

"You know what I mean," said Ydris.

"I do," said Daine. "Are we going now or what?"

"Impatient, are we?" Ydris purred as he approached his boyfriend, taking Daine's face in his hands and kissing him.

"Maybe I'm excited," said Daine. "Just a little." Ydris chuckled, his heart lifting at the fact that his boyfriend genuinely looked forward to spending time with him. And why shouldn't he? But Ydris shared his enthusiasm, he often longed for his final show of the day to be over, for the last of the fortunes to be told, so that he could pack up and go home to his boyfriend on South Hoof. Because that was home now, after everything. The first home that Ydris had known since...

But it was far too early in the day to be getting misty-eyed. Instead, Ydris took his boyfriend's hand in his own.

"Shall we?" Ydris asked, waving his hand to create a glowing pink portal in the living room after walking in there with Daine. Daine looked at the portal and, for once, it wasn't fear that flashed across his face. Instead, it was determination as he straightened his spine and pushed his shoulders back, standing to his full height so that he was almost as tall as his boyfriend.

"I don't know where the hell you're taking me but yes," said Daine, taking Ydris' hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. Ydris laced their fingers together, the gesture making Daine smile.

"Some would say to hell," said Ydris. But they wouldn't stay there long. No, 'hell' was merely a stopover. A stepping stone to get to their real destination.

The only downside of going to Pandoria was that the transformation from human to Pandorian was painful for Daine. And Ydris could only hold his boyfriend's hand and endure the deep scratches from his claws as his boyfriend suffered the pain of growing extra limbs and having other parts move.

"How does it not hurt you?" Daine asked Ydris, flattening his cat-like ears.

"Experience," said Ydris with a shrug. He healed the cuts on the back of his now-scaled hand and continued on, still holding Daine's hand. It was just a peaceful stroll, two boyfriends travelling through Pandoria. What could be more normal than that?

After travelling through Pandoria, including stepping across several small islands that floated past the larger islands, Ydris came to a stop. The energy here was exactly what he was looking for. Daine looked at him in confusion as Ydris smiled and waved a clawed hand, another portal opening up in front of them.

"After you, my phoenix," said Ydris, bowing as he gestured for Daine to step through the portal.

The smells hit Daine first, after the pain from transforming back had receded. After that came the sounds, chattering and squealing and laughing people, along with jaunty carnival music, accompanying the smells of deep fried food, cotton candy, and funnel cakes. It smelled like his boyfriend. He turned to his boyfriend with a grin, his face lit up brighter than Ydris had seen it in a while. It lifted Ydris' heart, bringing a grin to his own lips.

"No way, you took me to an actual carnival?" Daine asked, trembling in his excitement.

"But of course, l'amour," said Ydris. Daine almost squealed but settled for hugging his boyfriend tightly, still grinning.

"Thank you!" said Daine, bouncing on his feet. He looked around, eyes wide with excitement, every fibre of his being alight with joy as he tried to decide what to do first. But then, a thought struck him. "Wait, we snuck in through the portal."

"I am welcome at any carnival, my phoenix," said Ydris. "And you, as my boyfriend, are welcome too." Somehow, Daine believed him, even though he was pretty sure that Ydris was talking out of his ass on this one.

"We have to do the ferris wheel," said Daine, taking Ydris' hand and all but dragging him in the direction of the large ride that they could see outlined against the sky. Ydris smiled, allowing Daine to drag him along. In part, it was because of his pounding heart, his shaky knees, his sweaty palms (that he really hoped Daine couldn't feel). A ferris wheel was the traditional place to do what he wanted to do, he knew. Or he could try winning Daine a stuffed animal from one of the sideshow games (without using magic to cheat), or hide it in food, or...

But no. That was too public, too dramatic. And so, as he took his seat across from Daine on the ferris wheel, Ydris' hand clutched around the crystal in his pocket before he withdrew his hand without it, instead leaving his hands in his lap. Even when their ferris wheel car stopped at the very top, giving them a great view of the surrounds, Ydris left the crystal in his pocket. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Daine's, his boyfriend smiling against his lips before returning the kiss. He loved how happy Daine looked, how much adoration there was in his eyes. Ydris hoped that Daine could see the same in his own eyes, because he certainly felt that tenderness here with Daine.

After disembarking from the ferris wheel, the two men enjoyed the rest of the carnival together. Ydris remembered how Daine had acted the first time he'd brought his boyfriend to a carnival, blindfolded that time in one of the illusions that he liked to weave for his boyfriend when Daine was feeling particularly overshadowed by everything. He'd never forget the grin that had broken out on Daine's face at the first scent of carnival food. He certainly ate enough of it, and yet, it never showed on his waistline. His boyfriend was lucky enough to be gifted with a metabolism that could more than keep up with his sweet tooth. Or perhaps that was a Pandorian thing.

In the sideshow alley, both of them won a stuffed animal for the other. Daine gave Ydris a plush horse, grinning.

"This one isn't like the one you gave me, but hey, maybe it's still good enough," said Daine, placing the pink unicorn in Ydris' hands. Ydris peered at the creature, noting that it definitely lacked any magical aura.

"My phoenix, it is a gift from you," said Ydris, leaning in to give his boyfriend a kiss. "This is more than good enough." Daine blushed, though he still grinned.

Several games later, Ydris returned the favour, presenting Daine with a plush cat that was definitely not anywhere in the realm of lifesize.

"In the event that I am unavailable, this toy can be used as an emergency cuddle device," said Ydris, holding the purple cat out in front of him. Daine took it, having to wrap his arms around it. Oddly, Ydris felt a flare of jealousy. Daine must have seen it, because he laughed and squeezed the plush a little tighter.

"Regretting it?" Daine teased.

"Perhaps," said Ydris. But then, his hand brushed the jacket pocket that held the special crystal, and his jealousy was washed away by the warmth of what would inevitably happen later. Somehow, the nerves stayed out of his voice as he spoke. "Well, you are clearly unable to do much more right now, shall we return home now?" But Daine was looking at something past Ydris, something that blared the loudest music and glimmered with lights.

"Dodgems," said Daine. Ydris blinked, confused, but watched as his boyfriend walked past and then followed Daine to an attraction that was made up of wheel-less cars whizzing around, being driven by less-than-qualified drivers. Ydris had seen these before, of course, had even seen Daine driving them. Seeing that, he was glad that Daine mostly stuck to riding horses.

But this time, Daine held his hand out when he reached the end of the line. And, when Ydris slid his hand into Daine's, Daine didn't let go.

"You're coming with me," said Daine, a mischievous grin on his face. Ydris didn't like the light in Daine's eyes, it scared him a little.

"If you insist," said Ydris. "I must confess, I do not know how to drive, my phoenix." Daine snorted, gesturing with their hands to the younger people in line.

"You think any of these people do?" Daine asked, referring to the children in line. "You don't need to know how to drive to drive a dodgem, that just makes it boring."

"If you say so," said Ydris. He still felt a little out of his depth, but Daine seemed excited so Ydris went along with it.

Ydris was surprised when Daine insisted on being put in separate cars, though he was less surprised when Daine set his plush on the seat beside him and gave a wicked grin to Ydris.

"Have fun," said the young-looking guy who strapped Ydris into his car and showed him how to 'drive' (steer and push the pedal to go).

Ydris was still confused, though, until he looked at the others. It seemed that the objective was to crash into the other drivers as often as possible. He frowned in confusion as he tested the accelerator. This was most-

And then Daine crashed into him from the back, making Ydris yelp. He looked back at his boyfriend with a frown as Daine drove away, cackling like a madman. And yet, Ydris very much liked this look on him. A smile spreading across his own face, Ydris put his foot down on the accelerator and followed his boyfriend, intent on getting revenge.

Ydris ended up getting quite caught up in this game, finding it fun to crash into others and be crashed into in turn. A few times, the young man manning the attraction had to untangle cars or turn cars around, and Ydris marvelled at the young man's nimble feet. A man like him could be good in an act. And then Daine caught him looking and slammed his car into Ydris' with new purpose, causing a French curse to slip from Ydris' lips.

But, by the time the cars stopped moving and the man told them to leave their cars, any jealousy had faded. Daine leaned his head against Ydris' shoulder, linking their hands once more as they walked, grinning, away from the dodgems.

"Fun, right?" said Daine, his face still lit up with laughter and merriment.

"Definitely," said Ydris. "We need to do that more often."

"Now you can work that into one of your illusions," said Daine. Ydris nodded in agreement, knowing that it would be a surefire way to get his boyfriend to laugh after a horrible nightmare.

"Is there anything else that you would like to do before we leave?" Ydris asked.

"Well, not much I can do with this," said Daine, hefting up his cat plush. Ydris still held his unicorn plush, he'd held it in his lap while driving. Now, it was in his other hand.

"Good point," said Ydris. Now that they were going home again, the nerves started up again, threatening to choke him. Yet, he still managed to form the portal easily, in a place away from the crowds so that nobody would see the glimmering pink portal before it closed up behind them.

Daine fretted about his claws tearing his plush on the way back, but Ydris barely heard him except to murmur quiet assurances. He was almost visibly shaking by the time they emerged onto the soft grass of South Hoof. But he took in a deep breath of the sea-scented air, detecting faint traces of heather and horse, and felt himself relax, just a little.

"You okay?" Daine asked, frowning in concern at his boyfriend. Because of course Daine had noticed.

"Inside," said Ydris. South Hoof could be rather chilly, especially with that ever-present wind. Daine nodded and walked inside, his boyfriend following. He set his new toy down on the couch, Ydris placing the unicorn beside it. His hands shook as he set the toy down, and then he took a deep breath and plunged his hand into his pocket. Here went everything.

"Ydris, what are you doing?" Daine asked, seeing his boyfriend get down on one knee. He knew what that meant, yes, but he still couldn't quite believe that this was happening.

"Daniel," said Ydris, withdrawing his trembling fist from his pocket. "You first came to me as merely a simple rider, helping my horse and me, in turn. I saw something special in you then, something far more special than you could have ever imagined. And, as our... 'relationship' began and progressed, I began to see more of that special thing. And at first, I thought that my feelings were merely fascination with that special part of you, your Pandorian side, your powers. It took almost losing you for me to discover that I truly did care for you. And if these last few weeks have taught me anything, it is that... I cannot live without you or bear to be apart from you. I want to spend eternity with you, my phoenix. My heart." Somehow, he managed to uncurl his fingers from around the pale purple crystal, the one that hummed and swirled with energy. His energy. He held out his hand, the crystal lying on his palm. "So will you... marry me?"

"Yes," said Daine, his voice rough, eyes burning from more than just the tears. His eyes glimmered with the 'stars' that always appeared after sunset, a nebula that stared directly at the crystal held in Ydris' palm.

"How will you wear it?" Ydris asked, excitement replacing the quaver in his voice. Every fibre of his being sang with 'he said yes' as he got to his feet. "Humans typically choose a ring, from what I have heard, but I can turn this into any kind of jewellery."

"A necklace," said Daine, unable to stop grinning as tears rolled down his cheeks. In an instant, the crystal was attached to a silver chain like a pendant, the chain threaded through the top of the crystal easily. Daine held his hair back, still shaking, still overflowing with happiness, as Ydris fastened the chain securely around his neck. The crystal sat against Daine's chest, the warmth seeping into his skin.

"I am sure that you must have questions," said Ydris.

"Are you sure?" Daine blurted, looking at him with that intense gaze.

"Of course I am sure, my phoenix, these last weeks living with you have cemented the idea firmly in my mind," said Ydris, taking Daine's trembling hands in his own. "I feel for you like I have felt for no other. Loving you is one of the few things that I am entirely certain of." Daine's face crumpled, but it was happiness that burst in his chest, running through his body as he pulled his now-fiance into a tight hug.

"I just can't believe you could love a monster like me," said Daine, shaking in Ydris' arms as Ydris stroked his back soothingly.

"And yet, I do," said Ydris. "You are not a monster, Daniel. It is only fools that do not understand us."

Daine felt stupid for crying, especially now, but he couldn't help it. His eyes blazed purple, not that anyone would be able to see with his face buried in Ydris' shoulder. His mind kept repeating that one fact, over and over. 'He loves me'. And now, here was concrete proof of it in the crystal that rested against his chest and filled him with more comfort than he'd ever expected.

"What is this?" Daine asked when he finally managed to pull away from Ydris and pull himself together. Ydris picked up the crystal.

"It is my essence," said Ydris, rolling the crystal between his thumb and fingers. Daine looked down at it too, for once ignoring Ydris' fingers in favour of focusing on the crystal. "I kept it in my pocket for some time, absorbing my essence as I cast spells and lived my life. It has been collecting my essence since you asked me to move in with you, actually." That threatened to make Daine cry again, but he composed himself. So Ydris had been thinking of marriage since moving in with him.

"I was thinking about it too, actually," said Daine. "Marrying you, I mean. But I didn't ask because..." He didn't finish, but he knew that Ydris would at least be able to guess why.

"Ah, so I beat you to it," said Ydris, smiling at his fiance.

"Yeah, you did," said Daine. If he ever would have proposed. Just asking Ydris to move in with him had almost caused him to have a panic attack. And now, looking at the crystal that hung around his neck, still currently held in Ydris' hand, Daine felt as though a weight had been lifted. Ydris loved him enough to make this big a commitment. And, considering what was in the crystal, Daine knew, somehow, that marriage was a bigger deal for Pandorians than it was for humans. And Ydris was prepared to take that leap with him.

To his surprise, Daine found that he felt ready, too. He might have distrusted Ydris in the past, but now... after everything, he knew that Ydris wouldn't hurt him. At least, not intentionally. And he'd been trying so hard to be a good boyfriend. It had certainly paid off, too, Daine felt more loved now than he'd ever been before in his life. He could hardly believe that just a few months ago (it had been months, Ydris was just horrible with time still and confused his weeks with months), they'd been standing here in his living room in a completely different atmosphere, one of pain and only the faintest flicker of hope.

But now, when Daine stepped towards Ydris and kissed him, tasting cotton candy, he didn't feel any of that. Instead of pain, there was only pure joy flowing through him and seeming to radiate out from them. And the hope was now a strong, steady thing, almost tangible. And there was the love, too, tangible in the form of the crystal resting against Daine's chest. Right above his heart. He'd never be alone again. Ydris was here to stay, for good this time. All he needed to do was touch his new necklace to know that for sure.

Ydris loved Daine as much as Daine loved him. That was just one of the facts of the universe now. As real as the stars in the sky.


End file.
